MPs irked by government decision to raise salaries for only science teachers

Legislators appointed to the Education Committee of Parliament are furious over the new salary scale for selected categories of public servants released by government arguing its likely to cause more harm than addressing the problem.

Meeting officials from the ministry of education led by the minister Janet Museveni, Committee members expressed concern that the disparity in the new salary structure especially in the education sector is likely to demoralize majority of the non-beneficiary teachers hence leading to more strikes.

According to the new salary structure for the selected categories of public servants released at state House Entebbe in a meeting chaired by president Museveni on Monday, only head teachers and science teachers in government aided schools stand to benefit.

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The revised salary structure that flags off in the financial year 2018/19 indicates that the salaries for science teachers with degrees have been enhanced from Shs 1,089,533 to Shs2million and those with diplomas from Shs625,067 to Shs1,750,000.

To the head teachers their salary has been increased from 1,728,007 to 2,050,000 and their deputies from 1,527,241 to 1,767,633 shillings. These means science teachers will have to earn only Shs 50,000 less than their head teachers and 300,000 more than the deputy head teachers.

To the arts teachers with degrees their salary scale of 600,000 has been maintained and those with diplomas will continue pocketing their monthly 450,000 shillings.

However, Education Minister Janet Kataaha Museveni defended the increment of salaries for science teachers at the expense of those who teach arts subjects.

She explained to the committee that the decision to increase salaries for science teachers was driven by the brain drain phenomenon where science teachers were leaving the country for better opportunities elsewhere.

Ms Museveni said that much as the ministry has the desire to increase salaries equally across the board, it has to be done in phases owing to the limited resource envelope.